Met Office puts out serious alert

The Met Office issued an England-wide serious weather alert yesterday as the nation continued to shiver in freezing conditions.

The forecaster issued its first countrywide Level-3 Cold Weather Alert of the winter – the second-most serious. The alerts are tied in to the Government's Cold Weather Plan and are relayed to organisations such as Age UK which help the elderly through winter.

With temperatures this week as low as minus 6.2C in Pershore, Worcestershire, minus 6.1C in South Farnborough, Hampshire, and minus 5.7C in Hurn, Dorset, the Level-3 Alert is expected to remain in force until the weekend, when the country is braced for snow.